B-CU taketh, giveth away, too

Thursday

DAYTONA BEACH -- They say teams that live by the pass, die by the pass.

But Bethune-Cookman's vitality can be traced to turnovers. Just ask Hampton.

The Pirates had the undefeated Wildcats on the ropes last season, but Hampton couldn't overcome five turnovers -- including one B-CU returned for a touchdown -- in a 23-18 loss.

The teams meet again at 7:30 tonight at Municipal Stadium in a key Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference contest that will be televised by ESPNU.

Those five turnovers by Hampton were among the 41 that B-CU collected last year -- good for second in Football Championship Subdivision -- on its way to a 10-2 record, a share of the MEAC title and a playoff appearance.

The Wildcats have continued their opportunistic ways on defense this year, sitting tied for second in FCS with 11 turnovers forced in two games. But an uncharacteristic five turnovers of their own two weeks ago cost them a victory against South Carolina State.

"That's not what we're known for," coach Brian Jenkins said of his Wildcats, who led the nation in turnover margin last year at plus-27. "We're known for causing turnovers but not turning the ball over offensively."

Turnovers, breakdowns on kick coverage and more than 100 yards of penalties all contributed to B-CU's 26-18 loss to S.C. State, which dropped the Wildcats to 1-1, 0-1 in the MEAC.

"I can't fault the kids when you have things like that occur," Jenkins said. "I've always been taught -- and I strongly believe -- it goes back to what you're coaching, and evidently the kids didn't understand what was being coached because they didn't go out and execute it."

Jenkins said the 'Cats spent their bye week working on the mistakes, which included quarterback Jamarr Robinson's four interceptions against the Bulldogs.

Two of the picks were the result of bad reads by the Maryland transfer, the coach said. The final one, on a Hail Mary pass with less than 25 second left, came against a prevent defense. A third-quarter interception at the Bulldogs' goal line -- which kept the Wildcats from potentially going up by two scores -- was the result of Robinson trying to force a pass against good coverage.

Two turnovers were detrimental to Hampton's hopes of upsetting in-state rival Old Dominion in an offensive showcase last week in Norfolk, Va.

A fumble by Hampton quarterback David Legree at his own 10 with 3:56 left led to an Old Dominion touchdown and a 45-42 loss for the Pirates.

"We had opportunities to win," lamented Hampton coach Donovan Rose, who has been encouraged by a new no-huddle, spread offense for the Pirates (2-1, 1-0) that looks a lot like B-CU's offense.

"Their offense is on fire," Jenkins said. "The quarterback they have is playing at a high level, and it's very impressive what their offense is doing."

Legree has passed for 627 yards and four touchdowns with two interceptions.

Tonight, he'll try to lead his team to a prime-time upset. It's an important conference game for two teams that will likely be chasing South Carolina State (1-2, 1-0) in the MEAC standings this season.

"It's a must-win for both. That's how we're looking at it," Rose said. "We know it's going to be a battle. We're going to leave everything out on the field."

Jenkins said the loss to South Carolina State has not changed his team's approach to the season.

"Right now, we're behind a little bit," he said. "But I don't think it puts us in a position where we can't finish how we want to finish. Our goals are still obtainable. That one game was a road bump, not a roadblock. It was just one game. We didn't want to drop the ball on any of the games, but now we did and we just have to regroup."

And that starts tonight with the aim of going back to the basics of not dropping the ball -- and forcing the other team to do so.

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